The history of fudge isn’t totally clear, but according to Darby’s Fudge, it’s an American invention in 1886. They believe it to have been an accidental discovery. They believe its inception was a wayward attempt to make caramel, and they “fudged” it. In 1886 fudge was first sold at 40 cents per pound in Baltimore, according to a letter recovered from Emelyn Battersby Hartridge.